The Secret
by alex-1310
Summary: Who will Catherine turn to when she is in trouble?
1. The Encounter

1A/N: Okay this is my first CSI fanfic. And I must warn you it is going to turn out to be Catherine and Nick story, mainly because there aren't that many of them, so I thought I would try something different. I wrote this story like a year ago when the team was still separated but I just now finished it. Anyways here it is.

**CSI: The Secret**

**Chapter One: The Encounter**

Now that the CSI team had been split up Catherine had been drawn closer to Nick and Warrick. She had always been close to Warrick and she had her secrets with Nick. But it seemed now that they were working together all the time, things had changed. Even though it was against the rules to fraternize with your boss and team, that wasn't what it was about with them. They liked just hanging out together. They would usually take turns buying each other dinner after their shifts were over and complain about Ecklie and the new rules and talk about old times. This is not to say they did not still hang out with the Grissom and the others, it just wasn't the same, and obviously neither were their schedules.

One night after their shift they had gone to a little cage to get a cup of coffee and some food. Catherine and Warrick were sitting next to each other and Nick was sitting across from them. Warrick and Catherine both noticed a man sitting a few booths across from them who had been intently watching them since they had arrived. Just when Warrick was about to say something another man walked over to the booth and began talking with the one that was sitting. Then they both looked over at Warrick and Catherine and then went back to talking. That's when Nick noticed something was up.

"Guys what's going on?" he asked

"I'm not sure, but I think those two guys over there are watching us" answered Warrick

"Yeah they've been watching us ever since we got here" Catherine added

"Really? They probably have nothing better to do. That or maybe, just maybe, they think Warrick is hot and they are trying to figure out the best way to ask you out" Nick laughed, but when he looked at Catherine and Warrick they both had serious looks on their faces.

"Geeze guys I was just joking" he added.

Nick was then hit in the face by a flying french fry that came from Catherine.

"Hey" Nick whined

"Really Nicky that was uncalled for, although you might be on to something with Warrick," she said smiling

"Thanks guys, you two are so mature" Warrick said with a laugh.

He then also received a french fry in the face from Catherine. Then they all started laughing.

"Anyways guys I should get home to Lindsey" Catherine said, breaking up the fun

"Okay I'll go pay" replied Nick

"Okay I'm going to run to the bathroom before we leave" Catherine said as she got up at the same time as Nick.

"Okay I'll wait here for both of you" answered Warrick standing up to stretch, with his back turned to Catherine.

As she was walking to the bathroom the two men that were watching them earlier stepped in front of and behind her.

"Why hello there pretty thing" said the one in front of her

"Excuse me can I get to the bathroom" she asked angrily

"Well that depends on what you are going to do for us" answered the one behind her as he reached out to touch her arms. Just then Warrick turned around and saw Catherine, so he yelled out,

"Hey, what the hell are you doing" as he was walking over to them

This caught Nick's attention, so he turned to see what was going on. He saw Warrick walk up to the guy behind Catherine and push him out of the way while pulling Catherine behind him. Nick finished paying and quickly went over and stood beside Warrick and if fron t of Catherine.

"What's your problem man" said one of the guys

"Nothing what's yours. The lady just wanted to go to the bathroom" said Warrick

"Yeah and we just wanted to talk to her" answered the other man

"Yeah and I said I didn't want to talk to you" Catherine replied

"Why don't you guys go before you cause any more problems" Warrick told them

"We ain't going nowhere buddy" answered the first guy

As Warrick stepped forward Catherine grabbed his arm and said, "Let's just get out of here"

"Fine, but you guys lucked out tonight" Warrick told the two guys, "And you better find something better to do than assault women"

"Whatever" answered both men simultaneously.

With that Nick, Warrick, and Catherine turned and walked out of the cafe.

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A/N: I know this first chapter is short, sorry. It usually takes me a little while to get it going, but don't worry the next chapters will definitely be longer. Review if you please! 


	2. Consequences

1**Chapter 2: Consequences**

The next day at work Catherine called Nick and Warrick into her office to talk to them.

"Hey Cath, what's up?" Nick asked as he walked through the door.

"Yeah it's just the start of the shift, what did we do?" asked Warrick

"It's not about work, per say" answered Catherine, "you know that guy from last night

"Yeah" the answered in unison

"You don't think he followed us or knew who we were, do you?" she asked them cautiously

"I didn't recognize him" replied Nick

"Yeah and I don't remember anyone following us" added Warrick

"Why are you asking?" questioned Nick

"Did you see him again Cath, because if you did I will find him and kick his ass for harassing you" Warrick told her

Catherine just smiled and said, "No not exactly, but thanks anyways Warrick"

"Are you sure Cath, cause I'll help Warrick track him down" said Nick

"No boys don't worry about it I'll be fine, now you guys run along before Ecklie thinks we are partying instead of working"

"Okay but if you need anything just call" Warrick told her

"Yeah that goes for me too Cath, anytime" Nick added

"Okay boys, now get back to work" she winked at them

As she watched them go she wondered if maybe she should have told them that she had gotten prank calls all night. But she just figured it was probably teenagers goofing off and that if it happened again then she would definitely tell the guys, or at least mention it to Brass.

Later that day Warrick was sent back to the office after hitting a police officer at a crime scene. He walked into Catherine's office to find out what his punishment was, only to find she didn't know what to do.

"Warrick you can't keep pulling stunts like this. I can't ignore it when it happens , you know that"

"I know, I'm sorry Cath, I just lost it. That cop was a total ass"

"Warrick I know that cop probably deserved what he got, but you can't keep doing this or you are going to get fired"

"So, what, are you saying you are going to fire me?"

"No, but Ecklie might make me. You know it's against the rules Warrick, and you know how much he dislikes you"

"Yeah and you should be on my side"

"I am Warrick. That's why I am ordering you to take a paid vacation for two weeks, instead of forcing you on a leave of absence"

"Two weeks Cath, where am I going to go, and what am I going to do?"

"I don't know Warrick, but I have to make it that long so that it doesn't look like I am helping you out. It will look as if you had planned the vacation"

"Yeah alright"

"So I will see you in two weeks"

"Yeah and Cath... Thanks"

"Sure, don't mention it...ever"

Warrick just nodded as he walked out of her office. 'Well so much for telling Warrick what's going on' Catherine thought to herself. She thought about telling Nick, but she didn't want to bother him with what was going on, because it would probably turn out to be nothing anyway.

Later that day she was going to lunch when somebody in a black excursion tried to run her off the road. When the guy was beside her she looked over at him ready to cuss him out and she recognized him. It was one of the guys that were at the café the other day. When he was passing her he winked at her and puckered his lips, then sped off. Catherine decided when she got back to the lab she was going to find Nick and tell him there was something strange going on. The problem was that when she got back to the lab Nick was at a crime scene reevaluating some evidence and she waited fro him to come back but by 4 pm he still wasn't back and she had to pick up Lindsey from dance class. So she went ahead and left to get Lindsey, but instead of taking her home she took Lindsey to her sisters to stay the night until she got a chance to talk to someone about what was going on. She didn't want to put Lindsey in any danger but Catherine wasn't one to hide from anything or anyone, so she went back to her house to stay the night.

Around 10 pm Catherine had just finished watching a movie on TV and decided to go ahead and go to bed. As she was walking through her house turning off the lights she heard a noise at the back door. She stopped and held her breath to listen to the noise. That's when she saw a shadow run in front of her kitchen window. Catherine took off in a dead sprint to her bedroom, shut the door, and locked it. She then grabbed the phone in her bedroom to call 911 only to find the phone line was dead, and of course she had left her cell on the coffee table. 'Damn it' she thought to herself, 'How could you be so stupid.' She knew she had to get to her phone so she put her ear against the door and listened. Nothing. She opened her door and looked down the hallway. Nothing. She then, very slowly and quietly, made her way to the living room. She peeked around the corner into the living room and looked out the sliding glass doors to her backyard. She then went and grabbed her phone off of the coffee table, and that's when she heard it. Breaking glass, and it was coming from the hallway where Lindsey's room and the guest room were. 'Thank God I left Lindsey with my sister' Catherine thought. She then dialed 911 and ran back to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

"Hello 911 is this an emergency?"

"Yeah someone just broke into my house"

"What's your address ma'am?"

"4310 Rosewood"

"Someone's on their way"

Catherine then hung up and did the only thing she could think of, she dialed Warrick's number, and then remembered he was gone. 'Damn it.' Then she went to her next resort and dialed Nick's number. While it was ringing she heard something outside her bedroom, then she saw the doorhandle jiggle. As that happened Nick answered the phone,

"Hello, Anybody there? Catherine?"

"Nick" she whispered as softly as she could, but still so that he could hear.

"Damn it Bitch I know you are in there. Open the damn door or I will bust it down" a man yelled from the hallway

"Cath?"

"Nicky their here, the guys from the other night, they broke in" Catherine said

"I'll be right there. Stay on the phone with me"

Just as he said that, Catherine's bedroom door was busted open and the two guys started coming towards her. Then the sirens cam, getting closer and closer.

"Bitch. We will be back for you"

"You can bet on it" added the other one, who then walked up to her and grabbed her by the hair causing her to drop the phone.

"Catherine" Nick yelled into the phone

The guy then kissed her hard and slapped her across the face busting her lip.

"And next time the cops won't be able to help you"

With that they were gone, just as the cops drove up. While the cops were surveying the scene and asking her questions Nick pulled up and jumped out of his car running up to Catherine.

"Catherine are you okay? You never picked the phone back up when you dropped it" he said as he hugged her. But she was in a trance and didn't hug him back. That's when he looked at her and saw how white she was.

"Hey guys are ya'll almost finished cause I think she needs some rest"

"We need to question her"

"Can we do it in the morning?" he asked them

"No Nick, I'm fine. I'll answer the questions now. You should go home, I'll be fine" Catherine told him as she came out of her trance.

'There was Catherine trying to be strong and take on the world again by herself' Nick thought to himself.

"No way Cath, not until I get to finish talking to you"

"Suit yourself"

Nick stayed with Catherine as she answered all of the officers questions and they both gave descriptions of the two men and told the officer if that wasn't enough they would go to the station tomorrow and look for his photograph in the criminal book.

"You should probably stay in a hotel tonight" an officer told her

"No I'll be fine" she answered

"Don't worry officer I'll make sure she stays somewhere safe" replied Nick

"Nick really, I'll be fine" argued Catherine

"Cath we'll talk about it in a minute. Thanks officer, call us if there are any breaks"

"Sure thing, you two be careful"

When the police had all left Catherine proceeded to walk back into her house. Nick grabbed her by the wrist and asked, "Where do you think you are going?"

"Inside"

"Catherine you are not staying here tonight"

"Nick let go of me. I want to go see how bad it is"

"Fine let's go" Nick gave in. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop her.

They went inside and Catherine headed to the left hallway where Lindsey's room was. She opened her door and there was glass everywhere. This was the room they broke into.

"Oh my God. If Lindsey would have been here"

"But she wasn't" Nick said reassuringly

Catherine turned and walked out of Lindsey's room so Nick couldn't see the tears in her eyes. She then headed towards her own bedroom. When she got to the doorway she froze for a second and then took a deep breath and walked in. When Nick saw the busted door his heart sank. He remembered when she dropped the phone and what the men had said to her and he knew on of them had kissed her, he could tell. Everything about it scared him. If the cops had been a few seconds later-He knew that Warrick wasn't here to protect her, so he swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He would be her protector, at least until Warrick returned. He saw Catherine bend down to pick up her cell phone.

"Right where I dropped it"

"Cath, please...come stay at my place tonight"

"Nick I'm fine"

"Catherine you can't stay here, I won't let you" Nick said sternly

"Nicky"

"Catherine"

"Fine, but just for tonight. I don't want Lindsey or anyone to know about this, okay, not until it's absolutely necessary. So if I stay at your place you have to promise to keep your mouth shut"

"I promise" he told her

They got to Nick's place around 1 am and Nick could tell Catherine was exhausted, even though she was trying to hide it. Usually she was really good at hiding things, especially her feelings, but this time Nick could tell Catherine was emotionally drained and this whole episode was getting to her. Catherine went straight to the sofa and sat down. Nick followed and sat down beside her. They were silent for a few minutes until Nick broke the silence.

"Cath are you sure you're okay?" he asked sympathetically, hoping for her to open up to him.

"I'm fine Nicky" she answered without looking at him

"Catherine, I don't think you're fine. I saw your face when I got there, you were white as a sheet. And your voice on the phone, Cath I could tell you were scared. Will you please just let me in" Nick begged

"Seriously I'm okay"

"Please Cath, you're not in this alone. I just want to help you"

"I just never thought something like this would happen to me, now. I mean go figure, I was a stripper and I married Eddie, and after all of that I seriously don't think I was ever as scared as I was tonight. But what scared me the most was thinking, what if Lindsey had been there. I think that's what scared me the most" Catherine answered once again without looking at Nick

Nick moved his hand to Catherine's chin to make her look at him and that's when he really noticed her lip. He brushed his thumb by it and she flinched.

"Sorry" he replied, "I didn't realize it was that bad"

"It's not, really" she answered

"I'll get you some ice"

"I'm fine Nicky"

"Just sit there"

Nick got up and walked to the refrigerator to get some ice which he wrapped in a kitchen cloth. He went back over to the couch and sat down on the coffee table right in front of Catherine, and held the ice pack up to her lip.

"Just hold that there for awhile" he told her

"Thanks" she nodded

"Just don't forget that I'm here for you Cath"

She nodded again.

"Hey, you take my bed and I will sleep on the couch"

"Nick I don't-"

"Catherine you are sleeping in my bed and that's that"

Catherine just smiled and Nick realized it was the first time that night that she had smiled, then he realized why.

"Is that an invitation Nicky" Catherine asked in a sexy voice, but jokingly

"Sorry that came out wrong" Nick smiled, "But seriously you sleep in there because I'm sleeping on the couch"

Catherine just smiled and headed towards the bedroom, but turned around and asked,

"Please tell me your sheets are clean, if you know what I mean"

"You lucked out" he smiled, "I just washed them today" he winked at her

Catherine just rolled her eyes and walked into the bedroom.

"Umm Nicky" Catherine called

"Yeah"

"Do you have anything I could wear to bed? I guess I kind of forgot to bring something"

"Right. Yeah" he answered walking into the bedroom. He opened one of his drawers and got out a pair of sweat pants and a LVPD t-shirt.

"Here you go. The pants will probably be too big, so you will need to tie them" he told her as he continued to stand there looking at her.

"Thanks Nick. I think I can handle it from here"

"Right"

"Night Nicky"

"Night Cath"


	3. Trust

1A/N: I know this isn't the kind of story that most ppl like since it's going to end up being a Nick/Catherine, but don't diss it till you read it please! I would really appreciate some reviews if you do read it, and a big thank you to those who have reviewed!

**Chapter Three**

Around 4 AM Nick awoke to what he thought was a scream. He automatically assumed it was Catherine so he jumped off the couch and went towards the bedroom. He very quietly opened the bedroom door and peeked inside. Catherine looked like she was sleeping soundly. Nick let out a sigh of relief and thought maybe he had had a dream about someone screaming, well that or he was hearing things. He went back to the couch but couldn't go back to sleep because he kept getting this strange feeling about the scream that he could of sworn he heard. So he decided to just watch some TV in case he heard anything else.

Around 6:30 AM he decided to start making some breakfast because he figured Catherine would be up soon anyways. He knew her favorite breakfast was a good omelet, so he decided to surprise her because he knew she could use it.

Just as he was finishing up he heard a noise behind him. He turned around to find Catherine standing with her arms crossed across her chest.

"I didn't know you could cook Nicky"

"C'mon Catherine, a single guy my age has to be able to fend for himself" he said turning back to the stove.

"Oh really"

"Yep, and lucky for you I make a killer omelet"

"You made omelets" Catherine's face lit up at the thought of her favorite breakfast food.

"Of course. I recall you mentioning at work that it was your favorite breakfast"

"You remembered that?"

"Of course"

"It smells really good"

"Well have a seat because they are now ready" he said, flipping each omelet onto a plate and setting it down in front of her.

"Coffee?"

"Please"

As Nick sat down with the coffees Catherine had just taken her first bite of the omelet.

"Mmm. Oh my God. Mmm, Nicky this is great" Catherine complimented, causing Nick to smile and blush at the same time because of the tone of her voice when she had said that.

"Thanks" was all he was able to squeak out after her comment.

"You might have to cook for me more often" she told him with a wink

Nick just grinned his million dollar smile at that remark.

When they finished breakfast Catherine went to take a shower and when she got out she realized she didn't have any clean clothes to wear, so she borrowed another pair of Nick's sweat pants and one of his sweatshirts.

She came out of his bedroom to find him finishing up cleaning the kitchen. He turned around to fine her dressed in his sweat pants and oversized sweatshirt and couldn't help but smile.

"What?" she asked with a grin on her face

"That's a good look for you Cath, are you gonna wear that to work?" he asked still smiling

"Shut up. I figured you could drop me at my place so I could change and get my car" she told him

"Okay just let me take a quick shower"

"Kay"

After Nick had gotten ready they headed to her house. Once they got there they called some people to fix the window, door, and her phone line. While they were waiting for all of those people to arrive Nick helped Catherine clean up the mess in Lindsey's room. While they were cleaning up Nick decided to approach the question he had been wanting to ask her all morning.

"Catherine did you sleep okay last night?" he asked softly

"Yeah I slept fine. Why?" she questioned

"Just making sure. I thought I heard someone scream early this morning"

"Well it wasn't me. I slept fine" she answered without looking at him, "Could we not talk about this, please"

Nick didn't respond, but instead started talking about something else.

"Do you think we should call the police department and see if they need us to come in and make a better ID?"

"I don't know. I guess we should call and check" she answered turning to look at him, "I just want this to be over with ASAP. So whatever it takes I'll do"

Just as Nick was about to respond the doorbell rang. Catherine got up to get it, but Nick grabbed her arm.

"I'll go first to see who it is"

"Nick, it's broad daylight. I don't think they are that stupid" she replied

But Nick didn't abck down.

"Catherine I'm serious, just wait here until I give the okay"

"Nick"

"Not another word"

"Fine. Geeze, who knew you could be so bossy" she replied very pissed off

Nick went to answer the door only to find the phone repairman saying he had already fixed the phone line. Then as Nick was shutting the door the window repair men drove up.

After everything had been replaced everybody had left, Nick approached Catherine and asked her if she wanted to get some lunch.

"Nick I can take care of myself. Why don't you just go back home and I'll see you at work tomorrow" she told him harshly

"Catherine I'm not leaving you alone. There are two men out to get you for no apparent reason"

"Nick I'm sure they are long gone by now"

"You and I both know that's not true Cath. And I think you're forgetting that I heard what they said to you over the phone. Stop trying to everything by yourself, I'm here for you"

"Nick I'm fine. Just leave me the hell alone. Please" she screamed at him while walking to her bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Nick just stared after her. He knew this was hard for her. But he wasn't leaving. He went and made sure all of the doors and windows were locked in the rest of the house and then he sat down on the sofa to watch some TV.

After about an hour he decided to order some Chinese food since she wasn't coming out of her room, and they obviously weren't going anywhere.

Right after the food was delivered and he was about to eat, he heard a scream from Catherine's hallway. The same scream he had heard last night. He ran to her bedroom and opened her door to find her sitting up on her bed.

"Catherine you okay?" he asked worriedly

"Yeah I'm fine" she answered trying to seem calm

"Catherine you can't lie to me. I heard you scream just now and it was you who screamed last night also"

"I thought I told you to leave"

"Yeah and I told you I wasn't going anywhere" he snapped back

"Nick-"

"Damn it Catherine. Why can't you just let me in. All I want to do is help you. Why can't you just open up to me. You don't have to be the tough one here"

"Yes I do Nick. Because if I let anyone in, then people won't look at me the same. I want to be some woman that men look at and say, she can't do anything, she's too emotional. She shouldn't be doing this job"

"Catherine you are strong and you do your job better than most people I know. But you have to trust me, please. I promise I won't tell anyone you let your guard down" he told her sympathetically.

She was about to respond when her phone rang. When she got through talking she looked at Nick and said,

"That was the police department. They need us to come in. They think they ID'd the two men"

"Let's go"

Nick and Catherine arrived at the station around 3:00. It took them thirty minutes before anyone came to get them. Finally one of the officer came and took them into an office.

"We think the men you described are Gabriel Cruz and Thomas Kincaid" the officer told them, "Do these look like the men?"

He then pulled two pictures of the two men who had assaulted Catherine.

"Yeah that's them" replied Catherine, while Nick nodded

"What did they do?" asked Nick

"Well Cruz is known for assaulting women, about three years ago he was arrested for raping and killing two women. As for Kincaid, he's been arrested twice for armed robbery, but the last time he was arrested was for killing a woman with Cruz, I believe over money"

"Then why aren't they in jail?" Nick asked

"There wasn't enough physical evidence to prove that they did it"

"You've got to be kidding me" replied Nick

"I wish. We have an APB out on both of them and if you want us to post an officer outside your house until we find them-"

"No I'll be fine thanks" stated Catherine

"Cath I think-" Nick began

"Nick I will be fine. I can take care of myself" she said sternly as she thanked the officer and turned to walk out, leaving Nick standing there.

The officer just raised his eyebrows and was about to say something but was cut off by Nick.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her" he said and then he turned and walked out.

Nick had to run to catch up to Catherine. They walked out to their cars in silence and when Catherine got to her car, she turned to Nic and said,

"I'll see you at work tomorrow"

"Cath-" Nick began but was interrupted by her phone going off. Once she got off the phone she told him they had a crime scene to go to because they needed extra help.

"Okay I'll follow you there" he told her

"Nick I'm fine don't you think that us driving up at the same time might look suspicious" she asked him

Nick just looked at her and responded, "Catherine I know you don't want my help, but I'm not letting you out of my sight for whenever possible"

"Nick-"

"And as for people talking about us driving up together. I'm pretty sure everyone still think you and Warrick have a thing for each other, so they won't suspect anything about us" he stated

"Excuse me. What the hell are you talking about?" she asked slightly flustered

"C'mon Catherine don't act so surprised. Everyone can tell you two have a thing for each other"

"Nicholas Daniel Stokes I can't believe you listen to what other people say or think. How do you know I don't have a thing for Grissom, or for you" she said angrily as she got into her tahoe to leave. Nick quickly ran to his Tahoe and jumped in to follow her, even though she was pissed to no end at him.

'Stupid Nick. Why did you say that to her' he yelled at himself.

They were only about five minutes from the crime scene when a car whizzed by Nick but then slowed down and stayed even with Catherine. That's when Catherine looked over and saw a black excursion next to her. The same black excursion that tried to run her off of the road the other day. She was reaching for her phone when the excursion turned into her Tahoe knocking her head into the drier window. Nick saw everything happen and sped up and bumped the excursion from behind. That's when the excursion sped up and clipped the front of Catherine's Tahoe causing her to lose control and start spinning and flipped onto the sidewalk. Nick saw the whole thing happen and stopped his car, jumped out, and ran towards Catherine's tahoe.

When he got to the Tahoe he could see that the driver's side window was broken and he bent down to look inside. Catherine was still buckled in and she was bleeding from the side of her head.

"Catherine"

She shook a little and turned to look at him.

"Cath are you okay?" he asked

"I think so. Just get me out of here" she told him.

So Nick reached across her waist to unbuckle her seatbelt and helped her slide down and then helped her climb out of the Tahoe.

Nick grabbed her hands to help her stand up and then moved his hands to her face to make sure she wasn't hurt anywhere else. Catherine pulled away from him and turned around with her back to him.

"I'm fine Nicky" she said trying to convince not only him, but also herself

Nick turned her back around to face him and lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eyes. And that's when he saw it. Tears. Her eyes were red and she was trying so hard not to cry. So he wrapped his arms around her in a tight, protective embrace. And this time she hugged him back.

After the cops were through interviewing them about the scene. Nick and Catherine headed into the lab because they both thought that would be the safest place for her. They had called Ecklie and told him there had been an accident involving Catherine, but that she was okay and that they would just meet the team at the lab. Catherine still didn't want anyone to know what was going on, so Nick, in an act of him trying to get her to trust him, promised that he wouldn't say anything.

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A/N: Please, please, please let me know what ya'll think. Please review! 


	4. Another Attack

1**Chapter Four: Another Attack**

This time Catherine and Nick ended their shift at midnight, just like old times. Nick drove Catherine back to her house. When they got their they both got out of the car and walked up to the front door.

"Night Nick"

"Ohhh No, I don't think so Catherine. You aren't staying by yourself"

"Nick-"

"No"

"Geeze, since when did you become so stubborn" she winked at him

"When it comes to people I care about I can be very stubborn" he told her

"Fine suit yourself"

They went into her house and both plopped down on the couch.

"Where's Lindsay?" Nick asked her

"She is staying with my mom until this whole mess is resolved" Catherine answered

"Oh"

"So you want to watch some TV or a movie or something?" she asked him

"Sure. But you wouldn't be asking me this because you are having problems sleeping now, are you?" he questioned

"Nick-"

"Catherine it's fine if you are. It's nothing to be ashamed of"

"Can we just watch a movie and not talk about it"

"Fine"

So Catherine put a movie in and before either of them knew it they had fallen asleep on the couch. At around 3:30 in the morning the phone rang, waking both of them up.

Catherine answered the phone only to find silence on the other end,

"Hello"

"Hey sweet thing. Don't count on your boyfriend saving you the next time" the voice told her

Catherine immediately hung up and Nick could tell something was wrong"

"Who was that?"

"It was them"

"Hey I doubt that you are going to be able to sleep, so why don't we go out for an early breakfast"

"Okay, just let me shower and change"

"Okay"

When she finally came out, it was 4 AM. They left and went to a little 24 hour diner that they had been to many time. While they were eating Nick apologized to Catherine.

"Cath, look about yesterday. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have said that, and if I could take it back I would"

"Nick it's okay. People have always talked about me behind my back, and usually it wasn't good. I shouldn't have let it get to me like I did. Yes I think Warrick is attractive, but nothing is going on between us"

"I know and I didn't mean to upset you by saying anything"

"I know, let's just forget about it, okay"

"Kay"

When they were finished paying for their food, Cath's cell phone rang.

"Who was that?" Nick asked her after she had hung up

"The police. They said they had apprehended the men"

"Well let's go down there"

They left and went to the station, but when they go there they found only one man had been arrested.

"I thought you said you arrested both men" Nick stated

"One of them escaped. But we are pretty sure he already skipped town because Thomas Kincaid had a plane ticket to Florida in his pocket"

"Are you going to make sure he was on the plane?" Nick asked

"Our guys are at the airport right now"

Nick and Catherine waited until they got the word that the ticket had definitely been used and they left the station.

"Well I guess everything will be fine now" stated Catherine

"Yeah well just to make sure, you want to hang out until work" Nick asked her

"No I think I'm just going to run a few errands and then I'll see you at work" she told him

"Okay well be careful"

"I will, but umm, do you think you could take me to get a rental car?"

"No problem" he told her with a smile

He took her and dropped her off at the rent a car place and before she got out she turned to Nick and said,

"Thanks Nick, for everything"

"Anytime Cath" he replied with a smile

Later that day, after Catherine had gotten off of work she was heading out and Nick stopped to tell her goodbye. He was finishing up on some last minute things in the lab with a case so he was not leaving for awhile.

"Sure you don't want me to follow you home" he asked

"I'll be fine Nicky, it's 4:30 in th afternoon. They got one guy and the other one is gone, right" she told him with confidence. He wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

"Okay, just be careful, and if you need anything just call my cell"

"Okay, Later Nick"

"Bye Cath"

Nick watched her go and really wanted to follow her but he knew he had work to do and she would be pissed if she found out he left work to follow her home. So he decided to let her go and he would drop by her place to check on her on his way home.

Catherine ran some arrunds and spent some time at her mother's with Lindsay and then decided to leave around 8 because she wanted to get home before it got too dark. She decided to leave Lindsay at her mother's house for the rest of the week just to be safe.

Once she got home she checked all the doors and windows to make sure they were locked, just to console herself. Then she went and sat on the sofa and watched some TV. Just when she was falling asleep she heard a noise at her front door. She sat up and slowly turned towards the front door. She stood up and started to walk towards the door when she heard someone behind her. She spun around and came face to face with a man whose fist collided with her face knocking her down. He then picked up her cell phone and stuck it in his pocket. When Catherine tried to move he kicked her in the ribs, causing her to cry out in pain. He then walked to the front door and let another guy in. They walked over towards Catherine and stood above her as she once again tried to get up. This time the other man grabbed her by the hair and hit her head into the coffee table almost knocking her out. Then he picked her up and carried her into her bedroom and threw her onto the bed.

Meanwhile Nick was just leaving work and it was already 10:30 so he decided to call Catherine before heading over there. When he tried her cell she didn't answer, so he called her house, still no answer. He decided to drive over there and just check on her, maybe keep watch from his car. As he was driving to her house he tried calling her cell again, but once again she didn't answer. Then he tried her home phone again, and when she still didn't answer he started to get worried. He sped up and probably broke almost every speeding law there was. He also called the cops and told them they needed to get to her house ASAP.

Catherine was having trouble staying conscious after that blow to her head. Both men started coming towards her and she recognized the one man as Gabriel but the other she did not recognize. He was the one who approached her on the bed. When she tried to get up he punched her in the jaw and then climbed on top of her, straddling her on the bed and pinning her wrists down above her head.

"Don't you know who I am?" he asked her

"No"

"I figured you wouldn't remember me. I guess my brother was just like every other criminal you put away"

"I don't know what you are talking about"

As soon as she had said that, the other guy walked over to her and slapped her across the face.

"Calm down Gabriel. Don't worry, I'll remind her" the other man said as he looked down at Catherine, "As soon as we finish with her" he smiled and then leaned down and started kissing her and she tried to fight him but he was so much bigger than her and she was weak from getting hit. He then let go of her wrists so he could move his hands to other parts of her body. When he let go she started hitting him as hard as she could and that's when Gabriel jumped onto the bed and grabbed her arms holding them above her head.

"See if you don't want to play nice you won't be treated nice" the man on top of her said, "Now where were we"

He then bent down and started kissing her neck, moving his hands down her body to her stomach, where he started pushing up her shirt and kissing her stomach. She squirmed as much as she could to get him to stop, but he wouldn't and that's when she began to scream. But Gabriel immediately kept hold of her wrists with one hand and used his other hand to cover her mouth. Catherine started crying and moving as much as she could but she couldn't fight them off. The man on top of her finally removed his shirt completely after she put up a fairly good fight. He then spread her legs apart so he was in between them and she cried out into Gabriel's hand, and he just laughed.

Nick came to a halt in front of Catherine's house and saw that the police had not arrived yet, and that none of the lights were on at her house. He got up and walked up to her front door where he called her cell phone again. Gabriel had her phone in his pocket, so he reached in to get it because it had been ringing a lot, but when he reached for it he took his hand off of Catherine's mouth and she screamed as loud as she could. Nick heard the scream and tried the front door, only to find it unlocked which scared the crap out of him. He ran down the hallway and when he entered Catherine's room he saw one guy on top of her, and saw that he had just undone her pants and was about to undo his own, then he saw another guy pinning her down. He flew at the guy on top of Catherine and knocked him off of her and onto the floor and began fighting with him, while Gabriel hit Catherine again as hard as he could in the stomach and then ran out. That's when the other guy pulled his gun on Nick causing him to back off. Then there was the sound of sirens instead. So instead of shooting Nick, the guys smashed him in the head with the butt of his gun causing Nick to fall down, then the guy ran out. Catherine slowly rolled off of the bed and crawled over to Nick to see if he was okay, but his only concern was her. When she got to him he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him in a hug.

"Ow" she responded

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" he asked, his voice still trembling. He cupped her ace in his hands and saw the blood and fresh bruises forming, and he noticed her tears. She had been crying again. He then pulled her against him holding her, saying,

"I'm sorry Catherine, I'm so sorry"

She leaned away from him and said,

"You just saved my life, why are you sorry?"

"Because it took me so long to get here, and because you got hurt" he said sadly

"I"m just glad you came at all" she whispered

It was then that he heard the police coming into her house and he remembered that she didn't have a shirt on. So he helped her up and took off his leather jacket and wrapped it around her and zipped it up before the cops came into the bedroom.

* * *

A/N: Okay I know that's a weird way to end it but oh well. Hope it was okay. The next chapter should be up sometime next week. 


	5. What Just Happened

1A/N: Well here's chapter 5 for anyone who is actually reading this story.

**Chapter Five: What Just Happened**

After they made their statements they were told they should leave and stay somewhere else, so Cath agreed to stay at Nick's again. But this time she packed a pair of clothes for the next day. However, she purposely did not pack pajamas because she liked wearing Nick's sweat pants and T-Shirt.

When they got to Nick's apartment he told Catherine to sit on the couch and he would bring her some ice packs. She complied with his request while he grabbed two ice packs and then got one for himself because his head was killing him. And if his head hurt this much, he could only imagine the pain Catherine was in. He went and sat down beside Catherine and gave her two of the ice packs, which she applied to the side of her eye and the other to her ribs. She looked over at Nick holding his ice pack to his head and she managed a slight smile.

"Well we make quite a pair right now, don't we"

He just smiled back, "Yeah, that we do"

Once they were through icing, Catherine got up to take a bath and she grabbed her ribs in pain. Nick jumped up to help her walk.

"Cath I think you should have gone to the hospital"

"I'm fine Nick, really"

"Then let me see your ribs"

"Nick"

"Catherine I'm serious"

Catherine rolled her eyes, but complied and unzipped Nick's jacket to show him her stomach, which by this time was bruised, but her left side was bruised so bad it was turning red.

"Catherine you could have some broken ribs. I think we should go to the hospital"

"Nick, I'll be fine. I'm too tired to go wait in line at the hospital, okay. Besides you're here to take care of me, so I'll be fine" she told him smiling, "Now if you don't mind I think I'm going to take a hot bath to help me relax"

"Okay just let me know if you need anything"

"Okay"

Catherine was in the bath for almost 45 minutes and then decided to get out before she fell asleep in the tub. After she had gotten dressed in Nick's sweat pants and one of LVPD T-Shirts she went back in the living room to see if he was still awake, which he wasn't. So she took the blanket that was sitting on the coffee table and covered him up. Then she whispered another thank you and went back to the bedroom and got into bed, before she knew it she was asleep.

Around 3:30 AM Nick woke up to another scream and ran into his bedroom to find Catherine tossing and turning. He sat down next to her and tried to shake her awake. She sat up quickly and started hitting him, until he got hold of her arms and told her to calm down.

"Cath it's me, Nick. Calm down"

"Get away"

"Cath, it's me"

When she realized it was him she immediately stopped swinging and just completely broke down. Nick wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back trying to get her to calm down. But she had been holding so much in over the last few days that now she couldn't stop crying. She had her arms wrapped around his waist and she was crying into his chest.

"It's gonna be okay Cath, I promise" he tried to tell her, "I promise I'm not going to let them or anyone else hurt you ever again"

Nick didn't realize how much she was hurting or hhow scared she had been because it seemed llike she had been crying forever, until she finally fell asleep in his arms around 4:45 AM. But he didn't want to startle her or wake her by moving her, since apparently she hadn't been sleeping well. So he decided he would wait awhile before he tried moving her. But before he knew it he had fallen asleep also.

Around 8:00 AM he woke up to find he was in his bed lying on his back and noticed Catherine was sound asleep with her head on his chest and her arm draped across his stomach, while he had one of his arms around her waist and the other one on top of her arm. She looked like she was sleeping so peacefully that he was afraid to wake her up so he just laid there watching her sleep.

About fifteen minutes later he felt her move and she opened her eyes and looked at him and then realized the position they were in. She felt slightly embarrassed but didn't say anything or even move.

"Good morning" Nick said casually

"Morning" she replied, "I'm sorry about this Nick" she said as she sat up leaning against the headboard.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, while moving to sit up against the headboard as well.

"Everything" she answered looking up at him, "For being a burden, for keeping you up at night, especially last night. I usually don't-"

"Cath" Nick said looking directly into her eyes, "It's okay, really, and you nothing to apologize for about last night. Besides, because of last night I got to wake up next to a beautiful woman"

Catherine smile and punched him playfully in the arm before saying, "From what I here that happens a lot"

Nick just laughed and replied, "Yeah but I never thought this dream would come true"

"Nicky"

"What?" he smiled at her, "I can't help it that I had a crush on you when we started working together"

Catherine rolled her eyes, laughed, and said, "Yeah I get that a lot"

They were both laughing when Nick's phone rang.

"That was the lab. They need me to come in tonight because they are shorthanded"

Right when he finished that sentence Catherine's phone rang.

"That goes for me too" she told him as she hung up

"This suck Catherine. I mean it's Sunday"

"I know"

"Well then do you want to get up and have some breakfast?" he asked her

"Actually I was thinking I might try to get some more sleep. It's been awhile since I slept that good. I know it was only a few hours but-"

"Say no more. It sounds like a great idea" Nick said

He started to get up when Catherine grabbed his arm.

"Will you stay in here? I think the reason I slept so good was because you were with me and I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to me"

Nick nodded and sat back down on the bed with his back against the headboard. Catherine crawled back underneath the covers and turned over so her back was to Nick and before she knew it she was asleep.

Around 1:30 PM Catherine woke up and noticed she was in bed with someone who had their arms wrapped around her and pulled tightly inot his body almost protectively, like he was afraid he might lose her. That's when she realized it was Nick. She also realized she was holding one of his hands. When she turned her head behind her to look and see if he was awake she noticed he was still sleeping peacefully with a content look on his face, so she didn't want to wake him. She knew when he woke up they would both be embarrassed about the position they were in. Although ti felt nice to her to have someone who cared about her. Not to mention she had slept really good these past few hours because she knew he was there.

She started to wonder why Nick wasn't married already, or at least have a steady girlfriend. 'I mean hell, he's cute and sweet and he only dates casually' That's when Catherine stopped herself from thinking any further. She knew that if she thought any further she would be wanting to hook up with Nick, and that couldn't happen. 'I mean teammates should not get involved, especially not bosses and coworkers. That's why nothing has happened between Warrick and me, right?'

That's when she felt Nick move and pull her closer to him and then he stopped moving and slowly tried to unwrap his arms from around Catherine. That's when Catherine decided to have a little fun with him. She tightened her grasp on Nick's arms and moved her head like she was still asleep and trying to get closer to him. Nick tried to move at least his lower body further away from her body. But she just moved her lower body closer to him so that she was pushed up against him. That's when he gave up and decided to stay the way he was. He pulled her closer to him which Catherine wasn't expecting and he wrapped his arms tighter around her. That's when she turned her head to look at him and noticed he was awake and they looked at each other, but neither of them pulled away from the position they were in.

Catherine looked into Nick's eyes and she saw him differently. She didn't see him as the coworker from Texas who was known as a ladies man. She saw a guy who had been there for her and would do anything possible to protect her. And they both let their guard down when their eyes met and both saw something else there. They both leaned in at the same time and as their lips met they both left something that neither of them had felt in a long time. As the kiss deepened Catherine rolled completely onto her back and Nick moved on top of her. When Nick began pushing up her shirt, he saw her bruised ribs and he realized everything she'd been through the past few days and he knew she was too emotional to realize what she was doing, so he stopped.

"Cath I don't think we should"

That's when she realized she was in bed with Nick and that she had just been making out with him.

"Oh my God, Nicky what did we just do"

"Nothing Cath we fell asleep remember"

"I know that, but we were just kissing"

"I know, I'm sorry. I never should have let that happen. You've been through too much right now"

"Okay well maybe we should just get up and get ready for work"

"But we don't have to be at work until 7 PM tonight" Nick reminded her

"So"

"Okay, well let's get up take a shower, and get something to eat" Nick suggested

Catherine was about to respond, when Nick added, "Separate showers of course"

Catherine just smiled and agreed as they both got out of bed and tried not to make direct contact with each other. That's how it was for the rest of the day and at work that night. Every time they would touch or accidently bump into each other, they would quickly jump away and say 'Sorry',and then quickly walked away.

When they got off of work Nick followed Catherine home and sat outside for surveillance, without her knowing. But the next morning Catherine went outside to get her paper and she recognized the blue Tahoe outside her house.

When she got to the window she saw that Nick was sound asleep. So she slammed both of her hands into the passenger window and watched as he jumped up, before spotting her making a face at him. He rolled down the window and just smiled.

"Morning Nicky"

"Morning"

"Sleep well"

"Not really"

"I wouldn't think so. Want to come in for some coffee and some breakfast?"

Nick just looked at her knowing he would probably get yelled at if he went inside, but he could really use the coffee.

"Nicholas, get out of the car and come inside" she told him sternly

"Okay okay" he replied, getting out and walking around the car to walk up the drive with Catherine.

When they got inside Catherine began the conversation,

"I can't believe you slept in your car all night"

"Actually I didn't go to sleep until the sun came up" he smiled at her

* * *

A/N: Well there's the next chapter. Obviously people don't really like my story, I'm guessing because it's going to end up probably being a Nick/Catherine story. But I'm still going to finish the story. Review if you feel like it 


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